Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Black or Red!
"Tis true, but for good reason. You are the rightful ruler of Westeros."
I laughed darkly. "Tell that to Robert Baratheon. I'm sure if we send an email, he would immediately realise he took the wrong throne and just hand it over to me, perhaps with an apology."
"'Sure I may have killed Rhaegar by shattering his ribcage like pottery and destroying the children I called dragonspawn, but seeing as you ask nicely, I'll stand down, even if you are from a family my grandfather died against.' Yea, I'm sure that'll bloody well work."
"What is a—"
"Doesn't matter."
'Don't mention anything from the modern world.'
"If I decide to take the throne at all, I'll need to fight for it like my predecessors did." A Blackfyre, with an army standing behind my back. The Golden Company, that'll be my army.
'One army to beat them all. One army to crush an empire.'
"That is why Varys is weakening them from within."
Not like the Spider needs much help with that. Sooner or later the kingdoms would be engulfed in civil war.
Joffrey would act like a twat and kill Eddard Stark and send most of the realm into a war. It would be further improved by Littlefinger adding fuel to the flames.
With that, I needed to write much of what I knew down before I forget. Important events, times, things to do, as well as possible technology to give me an edge.
I was already beginning to forget my embarrassment.
"Varys . . . what has he got to do with all this?"
"He was my friend. We're like brothers," Illyrio began his story.
He didn't leave anything out, saying how they worked together and that Varys was a thief, stealing items before graduating to information which they sold when they couldn't blackmail.
That was how they grew rich. Varys wasn't a Blackfyre, nor did he have any Valyrian blood, but he was ideological.
A fanatic. He wanted a king raised a certain way and acted with certain interests.
A monarch taught with enlightenment values and given absolute authority. Ideas straight from the words of Voltaire.
It was a deal between two parties. Serra and Illyrio would have their son sit the Iron Throne as king. Varys would have his dream monarch.
Not to mention, Blackfyre supporters like the Golden Company who wanted a Blackfyre on the throne as well as others who had their own vested interests.
I was to masquerade myself as a lost Targaryen to earn the support of the Martells and other Targaryen loyalists after the true Aegon had his face smashed.
It benefitted multiple parties as long as the lie was considered truth. After all, power resides where people believe it resides. Lies become truth and truth becomes a lie. History written by the winners.
At the end, sitting on Illyrio's bed right beside him, I was both impressed and flabbergasted. It had been a long story.
'All this organisation and planning, and I destroyed it.'
There was humour in that from an outsider's point of view. A boy of barely twelve years old destroying the master plan of two of the greatest masterminds of the story.
It's very fate balancing on my fingertips. If I wanted to destroy years of feverish plotting, I could.
But would I?
If there was one thing to say about Illyrio and Varys, it was that they knew how to change their tactics.
They were flexible and that was a valuable talent, one I sorely lacked. From what I knew, their initial plan was for Khal Drogo to weaken the realm with his discount Mongol horde at the behest of dear uncle Viserys.
They would somehow manage to cross the Narrow Sea amidst civil war and fuck everything up.
After all hope is lost, I would come in swinging my sword and awe everyone with my sheer awesomeness.
But that didn't go to plan. Drogo died and Daenerys got dragons.
Then the plan was that I go and marry her, unite our forces to take on Westeros with the dream team made up of the Golden Company, Unsullied and dragons.
The very same tactic I used in the game of thrones mod for Crusader Kings 2. A plan that worked every time.
Thinking, I fiddled with my hands.
"You need not say anything, you know," Illyrio said softly. "You can still do this. Pretend nothing ever was said between us here. Continue as Aegon Targaryen, son of Elia Martell and Rhaegar. It'll be easy and you'll be king, your children princes and princesses."
"But it has. I was lied to all my life. You lied to others. You wanted to lead others to die for a lie. I won't do that. That's not me." The suggestion was tempting though. I was not a person who lacked ambition.
"Then what will you do?"
I thought about that for a moment. There were many things I could do. I was the last Blackfyre, a true Blackfyre, for my parents had a matrilineal marriage because her name had more political weight behind it, as smeared as it was.
'Black or red, a dragon is still a dragon.'
How could I break it to Jon Connington and the others?
I swallowed and looked at the Pentoshi cheesemonger. I was at the crossroads that would dictate my future.
'Power resides where people think it resides.' If I continue the act – this time with knowledge – I would have Dorne and others.
But it would be a lie to benefit an imposter. If the Dornish discovered the ruse, they would come after me with everything they had.
In no way would they allow an imposter to piss on Elia and her child's name and memory.
There was no way I was in control. People would press me to sit the Iron Throne regardless of what I try to do.
"I will do what I need to do, but not on the backs of two dead children. If I'm going to take the throne, I'll do so as a Blackfyre."